I also prefer the 2012 art to the modern style, but if Mike likes to draw the way he does now then good for him. He’s clearly demonstrated his artistic prowess over the years and I’d guess wanted to make his own exaggerated style. It’s definitely instantly recognizable as his
PA refers to Penny Arcade, a gaming culture webcomic that’s run since '98 that’s linked by Corngood up there. Tycho Brahe (besides being a 16th centure Danish astronomer) is name of one of the main characters in the comic as well as the pseudonym of it’s main writer, Jerry Holkins.
Pros: I’d only have to solve puzzles, then defeat an AI god at puzzles in order to be born into the real world and become effectively immortal so long as I keep up maintenance on my robo-bod. It’s easier than it sounds.
Cons: Most human media is lost to time. I would be alone except for the fellow robots I wake up, and a lot of them are apparently annoying. The work of restoring civilization rests entirely on my shoulders. Luckily, I’m immortal.
Yes. You can play for free with a free trial that includes the base game and the first expansion, Heavensward, which I hear is critically acclaimed. The second expansion, Stormblood, will be added to the free trial in October when the 6.5 update comes out. This is hundreds of hours of gameplay and story for free. If you want to keep playing after exhausting the free trial content, you’ll need to pay a monthly fee of $12.99 and buy the base game + latest expansion. The latest expansion includes all previous expansions. At this time the latest expansion is Endwalker. If you somehow don’t complete the free trial between now and then, or want to wait for the next expansion so you get the current one for free, the next expansion is Dawntrail in summer 2024 and it will include Endwalker for free as well as all the previous ones.